Norfolk PCC Sarah Taylor quits Labour over plan to scrap PCCs
Taylor said the move would significantly weaken public accountability
Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner Sarah Taylor has resigned from the Labour Party after issuing a sharply critical letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, condemning the government’s decision to abolish elected PCC roles.
Taylor said the move—long expected given Labour’s historic opposition to the PCC model—would significantly weaken public accountability.
She warned that replacing elected commissioners with appointed representatives and dismantling oversight panels would create a “democratic deficit” and give too much power to unelected officials.
She also criticised the way the announcement was handled, saying PCCs were notified barely an hour before the statement to Parliament and that some learned of it through their own officials.
She described the government’s reasoning as “spurious,” and accused ministers of consistently failing to recognise PCCs as legitimate elected representatives.
Taylor said uncertainty caused by the government’s approach had already undermined policing and community partnerships in Norfolk, creating instability and limiting her ability to deliver services.
She argued the changes would bring little benefit to the public, amounting to “removing a level of democracy and accountability in order to deliver just a few new officers.”
In a personal rebuke, she said Labour had abandoned the values that first drew her to the party, replacing collaboration with a “command-and-control approach.” Citing growing frustration among colleagues and the public, she concluded her position in the party was “untenable.”
Taylor urged Starmer to rethink his government’s direction before more Labour representatives follow her out of the party.